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The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

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The Lord of the Rings:
The Hunt for Gollum
Directed byAndy Serkis
Screenplay by
Based on
Characters created
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJames Friend
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • 17 December 2027 (2027-12-17)
Countries
  • New Zealand
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is an upcoming fantasy film directed by Andy Serkis, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou, and based on characters created by J. R. R. Tolkien. Expanding on producer Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) film trilogies, it follows Strider's hunt for Gollum between the events of the two trilogies and during the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Serkis stars as Gollum alongside Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan (Strider), Leo Woodall, Lee Pace, Elijah Wood, and Anya Taylor-Joy.

Development of new films based on the appendices of Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955) was announced in February 2023, with Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens returning from the previous films as producers. That October, they approached Serkis—who portrayed Gollum in the trilogies and directed second unit for the Hobbit films—about directing and starring in a new film. His involvement was announced alongside the title in May 2024, when writing was underway. Pre-production started in September 2025 in Wellington, New Zealand, where the previous films were made, with several cast and crew members returning from the trilogies. Additional casting took place through early 2026, and filming is taking place from July to October.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on 17 December 2027.

Premise

[edit]

The Hunt for Gollum is set between the events of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit (2012–2014) and The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) film trilogies,[1] and during the events of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) leading up to the Company of the Ring entering the Mines of Moria. It features the Wizard Gandalf sending the ranger Strider to hunt for the creature Gollum. The film is told from Gollum's perspective.[2][3]

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced in February 2023 that the company had signed a new agreement with Embracer Group's Middle-earth Enterprises—holder of the right to adapt J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955)—to develop multiple new The Lord of the Rings live-action films. This came after Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema produced two film trilogies based on Tolkien's works, The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014), and while they were expanding the franchise with the animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024).[12] Peter Jackson, director and co-writer of the trilogies, and his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said Warner Bros. and Embracer were keeping them "in the loop" and they were interested in hearing the companies' plans.[13] Boyens said working on The War of the Rohirrim reignited the trio's passion for the world of Middle-earth and showed the potential for more stories to be told based on the appendices of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[5] Warner Bros. Pictures CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy brokered the new agreement with Embracer and visited Jackson in New Zealand to re-establish the studio's relationship with him.[14] Industry insiders said Warner Bros. wanted to distance future films from the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present) and would continue to tell stories set in Tolkien's Third Age, avoiding the series' Second Age setting.[15]

Picture of actor Andy Serkis in 2025
Andy Serkis directs The Hunt for Gollum and reprises his role as the title character from previous films

Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum via motion capture in both film trilogies, was asked in March 2023 if he was interested in returning for future films. He said he would if Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens were also returning.[16] Around October of that year, the trio approached Serkis about him directing a new film focused on Gollum.[17] Serkis was a second unit director on the Hobbit films,[18] and he said the opportunity to direct this film was a "dream come true".[17] In May 2024, Zaslav announced that Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens were producing two new The Lord of the Rings films for Warner Bros. and New Line, the first of which had the working title The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and was intended to be released in 2026.[19][20] Serkis was set to direct and reprise his role as Gollum. Walsh and Boyens were in the early stages of writing the script with The War of the Rohirrim writers Phoebe Gittins, who is Boyens's daughter, and Arty Papageorgiou. Ken Kamins was executive producing with Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish of the Imaginarium Studios. Serkis said the new film was being produced with Wētā Workshop, Wētā FX, and others who worked on the trilogies in New Zealand,[19][20] and the production was confirmed to again be based in Wellington. This was a relief for local filmmakers after production on The Rings of Power had been moved away from New Zealand.[21] Serkis described the film as "a deep dive where we investigate Gollum's character".[17]

Based on the working title, commentators expected the film to adapt material from the appendices in which the characters Gandalf and Aragorn hunt for Gollum during the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).[22][23] Jackson discussed potentially adapting this material when first working on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy in the 1990s,[24] and it was later turned into a fan film, The Hunt for Gollum (2009).[22] Serkis said it was too early to confirm whether any other actors would be reprising their roles from the previous films.[5] Over the following months, several actors expressed interest in returning, including Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn),[25] Ian McKellen (Gandalf),[26] Cate Blanchett (Galadriel),[27] Orlando Bloom (Legolas),[28] John Rhys-Davies (Gimli),[29] and Liv Tyler (Arwen).[30] Hugo Weaving (Elrond) said he was not interested in returning.[31] By the end of 2024, filming was set to begin in early 2026.[6] Boyens described The Hunt for Gollum as a "bridging film" and an origin story for Gollum, covering "a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature";[2][3] when making the Hobbit films, the producers initially planned to make a "bridge" film that connected to The Lord of the Rings and told more of Gollum's story, but these plans changed during production.[32] She confirmed that the film would include Gandalf sending Aragorn to hunt for Gollum during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The producers hoped McKellen and Mortensen would return, but the actors were waiting to read the script before deciding.[3][33] Serkis later described the film as being set between the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies.[1]

In February 2025, Serkis said they were still in the early stages of writing, pre-production would begin later that year and take six or seven months, and filming would take place in 2026. He expected the film would be released around December 2027;[34] a week later, it was scheduled for release on 17 December 2027.[35] In August, Zaslav praised the script and said they were moving forward with it.[36] McKellen said filming would begin in May 2026 and revealed that the character Frodo Baggins, portrayed by Elijah Wood in the previous films, would appear.[37] Wood soon said he had read the script and it had many cameo appearance opportunities.[38]

Pre-production

[edit]

Serkis travelled to New Zealand in September 2025 to begin pre-production.[39] In early 2026, McKellen and Wood were reported to be reprising their roles,[10] although Wood said they were not yet allowed to say so officially.[40] Despite this, McKellen confirmed his return and said "I cannot have anybody else play Gandalf".[8] Wood felt the same about another actor playing Frodo,[40] and added that the film was "getting the band back together" and had many of the same department heads as the trilogies.[41] Rumours about additional casting circulated around that time, including that Aragorn would be recast with a younger actor and that Kate Winslet—who starred in Jackson's film Heavenly Creatures (1994)—would join the cast.[10][42] Winslet's casting as the film's "female lead" was confirmed in March.[10] Serkis and Jackson spent much of 2025 convincing Winslet to move her family from the United Kingdom to New Zealand for the duration of filming so she could join the cast.[10] Zane Weiner had been added to the producing team by that point, returning from the trilogies.[43]

Also in March 2026, several crew members were confirmed to have returned from the trilogies: production designer Dan Hennah, illustrator John Howe, and prosthetics supervisor Gino Acevedo.[44][better source needed] Additionally, Leo Woodall was rumoured to have been cast as Aragorn,[45] and Anya Taylor-Joy was rumoured to have been cast as Arwen, who was portrayed by Liv Tyler in the previous films.[46] In early April, Serkis confirmed that they were recasting Aragorn.[47] Later that month at CinemaCon, Warner Bros. officially announced the film's cast: Serkis as Gollum / Sméagol; McKellen as Gandalf; Winslet as Marigol; Jamie Dornan as Strider / Aragorn; Woodall as Halvard; Lee Pace as Thranduil, reprising his role from the Hobbit films; and Wood as Frodo.[4][9] In June, Taylor-Joy was confirmed to be part of the cast, portraying Seren.[11]

Filming

[edit]

Principal photography began in July 2026 in Wellington, New Zealand,[48] with James Friend as the cinematographer.[49][independent source needed] The film is taking advantage of improvements in motion capture technology that Wētā FX made with the Planet of the Apes and Avatar franchises,[5] and is also using digital de-aging technology for returning actors, which Boyens called "digital make-up".[3][48] Serkis wanted to combine new technology with traditional filmmaking techniques, including miniatures and prosthetics,[48] and said the film would "technically, visually, and stylistically" merge Jackson's approaches to the two film trilogies.[1] Filming is expected to continue until October.[10]

Release

[edit]

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on 17 December 2027.[35]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Crow, David (5 May 2026). "Andy Serkis: The Hunt for Gollum 'Absolutely Will Be Like' How They Made Lord of the Rings". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 Travis, Ben (18 October 2024). "The Hunt For Gollum Won't Be Two Films, But A Second LOTR Film Is Incoming, Philippa Boyens Confirms". Empire. Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Barfield, Charles (4 December 2024). "'The Hunt For Gollum': Philippa Boyens Says The 'LOTR' Brain Trust *Really* Wants Viggo Mortensen". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Moreau, Jordan; McGowan, Andrew (15 April 2026). "'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum' Sets Cast: Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood Officially Return, Plus Jamie Dornan as Aragorn and More". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fleming, Mike Jr (15 May 2024). "Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis & Philippa Boyens Explain Why They're Returning To Middle-Earth For 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum' 23 Years After Cannes Saved The Billion Dollar Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 Wakefield, Abbey (15 December 2024). "Exclusive: Andy Serkis, Philippa Boyens on new Lord of the Rings film". 1News. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Rós, Alex (16 May 2026). "The Next Lord of the Rings Movie Is Copying the Best DC Movie Since The Dark Knight". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  8. 1 2 Dean, Jonathan (14 February 2026). "Ian McKellen at 86: 'I've had to accept that I'm not immortal'". The Times. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Chuba, Kirsten; Couch, Aaron (14 April 2026). "Next 'Lord of the Rings' Movie Reveals Full Cast with Jamie Dornan to Play Strider". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bamigboye, Baz (11 March 2026). "Kate Winslet Is Female Lead In ' 'LOTR: The Hunt For Gollum'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  11. 1 2 Galuppo, Mia (15 June 2026). "Anya Taylor-Joy Joins Next 'Lord of the Rings' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 16 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (23 February 2023). "More 'Lord Of The Rings' Movies In Works As Warner Bros & New Line Strike Rights Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (23 February 2023). "New 'Lord of the Rings' Movies in the Works at Warners, New Line". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (14 June 2023). "Can Warner Bros. Restore Its Movie Glory? Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy Want Christopher Nolan Back, Will Prioritize Theatrical and Take More Big Swings". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Hibberd, James (28 February 2023). "'Lord of the Rings': Amazon, Warner Bros. Ready for Tolkien Battle". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Sharf, Zack (10 March 2023). "Andy Serkis Would 'Jump at the Chance' to Star in New 'Lord of the Rings' Movies, but Only With Peter Jackson: 'Middle-Earth Has Never Left Me'". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 Lapin-Bertone, Joshua (26 June 2024). "Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum director/star Andy Serkis says title change may be coming, and so are some returning characters from the original trilogy". Popverse. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  18. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (6 April 2011). "Gollum Actor Andy Serkis to Serve as Second Unit Director on 'The Hobbit' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 Maas, Jennifer (9 May 2024). "Warner Bros. to Release New 'Lord of the Rings' Movie 'The Hunt for Gollum' in 2026, Peter Jackson to Produce and Andy Serkis to Direct". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema are set to Reunite with the Oscar Winning "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" Team Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens for Two New Feature Films From J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth" (Press release). Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Discovery. 9 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  21. ↑ Hickman, Bill (10 May 2024). "Revealed: Lord of the Rings movies production hub to be in Wellington". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  22. 1 2 Hibberd, James (10 May 2024). "Warners Allows Fan-Made 'Lord of the Rings' Movie to Stay on YouTube". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  23. ↑ Harrisson, Juliette (9 May 2024). "Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Is a Great Choice for a Spinoff Movie". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  24. ↑ Jackson, Peter (1998). "20 More Questions with Peter J". Tripod. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  25. ↑ Sharf, Zack (30 May 2024). "Viggo Mortensen Asked Peter Jackson if He Could Use Aragorn's Sword in a New Movie, Says He'd Star in New 'Lord of the Rings' Movie Only 'If I Was Right for the Character'". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  26. ↑ Maxwell, Dominic (8 June 2024). "Ian McKellen: 'When a script arrives, I think this might be my last job'". The Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  27. ↑ "Cate Blanchett says she would return as Galadriel for Lord Of The Rings spin-off". Peeblesshire News. 30 June 2024. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  28. ↑ Shanfeld, Ethan (6 September 2024). "Orlando Bloom Spoke to Director Andy Serkis About New 'Lord of the Rings' Movies and Wants to Return: If Peter Jackson 'Says Jump, I Say How High'". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  29. ↑ Kelley, Aidan (12 November 2024). "John Rhys-Davies Reveals What It Would Take for Him To Return for New 'Lord of the Rings' Movie: "Times Have Moved On" [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  30. ↑ Phillips, TC (11 April 2025). "Original Lord of The Rings Cast Address Potential Return To Franchise: "If Peter Says 'Jump,' I Say, 'How High?'"". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  31. ↑ Murray, Emily (9 October 2024). "Lord of the Rings star Hugo Weaving says he's "had enough" of Middle-earth and has "absolutely no desires" to reprise the role of Elrond as new movies are announced". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  32. ↑ Pape, Stefan (13 December 2013). "The Hobbit director Peter Jackson all but rules out a return to Middle Earth". HeyUGuys. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  33. ↑ Barker, James (1 September 2024). "Ian McKellen: 'They better be quick if they want me to play Gandalf again!'". The Big Issue. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  34. ↑ West, Amy (27 February 2025). "It looks like the new Lord of the Rings movie Hunt for Gollum has been delayed by a year". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  35. 1 2 McClintock, Pamela (8 May 2025). "'Lord of the Rings: Hunt for Gollum' Set for December 2027, Next 'Evil Dead' Movie Nabs Summer 2026 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  36. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (7 August 2025). "The Next Lord of the Rings Movie Has a 'Great' Script, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav Says, With Shooting Set for Next Year". IGN. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  37. ↑ Coleman, Ryan (17 August 2025). "Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf and Frodo to return for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  38. ↑ Freitag, Lee (7 October 2025). "Elijah Wood Hints at Packed Cameo Roster in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  39. ↑ Sharf, Zack (3 September 2025). "Andy Serkis Says 'I Can't Escape' Gollum Before Flying to New Zealand to Begin New 'Lord of the Rings' Movie: 'We're Going Down to Start Prep'". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  40. 1 2 Oganesyan, Natalie (9 March 2026). "Elijah Wood Plays Coy About Return As Frodo, But Says He Wouldn't Want Anyone Else Portraying The Character "As Long As I'm Alive And Able"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  41. ↑ Rudoy, Matthew; Crowley, Liam (10 January 2026). "Elijah Wood Addresses Frodo & Gandalf Reunion In New Lord Of The Rings Movie: "A Wizard Is To Be Trusted"". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  42. ↑ Luxford, Victoria (10 December 2025). "Aragorn will reportedly be recast for new 'Lord Of The Rings' film". NME. Archived from the original on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  43. ↑ Couch, Aaron (11 March 2026). "Kate Winslet Joining 'Lord of the Rings: Hunt for Gollum'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  44. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (25 March 2026). "Stephen Colbert Set To Write Next 'Lord Of The Rings' Movie After 'The Hunt For Gollum' Based On "Fog On The Barrow-Downs" Chapter". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 25 March 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  45. ↑ Holaday, Carsen (8 March 2026). "LOTR fans share verdict on Viggo Mortensen's rumored replacement as Aragorn". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 March 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  46. ↑ Hunt, Hannah (11 March 2026). "Anya Taylor-Joy's Rumored Lord of the Rings Casting Is 10/10". Collider. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  47. ↑ Chu, Jennifer; Crowley, Liam (2 April 2026). "Aragorn's Recast In New Lord Of The Rings Movie Officially Confirmed By Andy Serkis". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  48. 1 2 3 Ritman, Alex (13 July 2026). "Andy Serkis on U.S. 'Outrage' Over His 'Animal Farm' Movie, AI Use in 'Hunt for Gollum' and Wanting Oscars to Recognize Motion Capture: 'It's Been a Long Time Coming'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  49. ↑ "James Friend ASC, BSC". United Agents. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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